9 Things to Do After You Hit Publish on Your Blog Post

This post was originally published on September 21st, 2015. It was updated on February 25th, 2018.

You’ve just published an awesome post on your blog.

And you’re sure your readers are going to love it! But now what?

Do you just sit back and wait for the readers to come flooding to your site? Perhaps you hit publish, keeping your fingers crossed your post is as successful as you’d hoped…

You shouldn’t.

Once you’ve published a brand new piece of content, it doesn’t mean the hard work is done. You can’t just make your post live and walk away. There are a number of things to do after you hit publish to make sure your blog post is a success.

9 Things to Do After You Hit Publish

Now that your blog post is live, there are a few things you need to do! These steps will help attract more readers to your site, keep them reading your content longer, and allow you to build a deeper relationship with them. Sound good?

Okay, then let’s dive in!

1. Schedule Social Media Posts for That Day

Promoting your brand new blog post on social media is a must. In fact, it’s one of the top things to do after you hit publish because it’s going to help drive more traffic to your website. And that’s what you want, right? More eyes on your posts!

To do this successfully, you need to create content for every social media platform you’re using for your blog. And then, schedule that content to go out throughout the day.

Here’s how I handle social media content on publishing day:

Twitter: I’ll share three posts to spread the word about my new content. One will go out in the morning, the next in the afternoon, and the final one at night. This allows me to reach more people, as tweets have a short lifespan.

Facebook: Personally, I’ll only schedule one share for Facebook because of their algorithm. I don’t want too many posts going out in one day and possibly competing against one another.

Instagram: In the past, I would create a special graphic for Instagram, but it’s not something I’ve done recently. I’m more inclined to let people know about new content via Instagram Stories.

Pinterest: The vertical image I’ve created for my blog post will be pinned to all relevant boards on Pinterest.

A look at Buffer’s Power Scheduler

2. Schedule Future Social Media Posts

Social media is so much easier to manage when you’re ahead of yourself when it comes to scheduling. I hate having to scramble to write posts at the last minute. For that reason, I always take time to schedule future posts for new content.

When a brand new blog post goes live, take a few extra minutes to schedule additional social media content that goes out in two days and again in seven days. Of course, that time frame is just an example, but it’s what I like to do. And I do this with the help of Buffer’s Power Scheduler.

3. Share in Groups & Forums Where Appropriate

While we’re on the topic of social media, another one of my things to do after you hit publish is to share your post in relevant forums. If you’re part of any Facebook groups that allow you to share your links, be sure to post it there! It’ll help you get even more traction on your content. However, make sure you’re following the rules of the groups you’re in. Not everyone is cool with you sharing your links whenever you way. They may have designated days for this, so you’ll have to keep an eye out for the next one. For more advice, I’ve previously shared tips on how to use Facebook groups.

You can also share your content to any Pinterest group boards you’re part of or post the link on a forum your audience uses. Get creative here and figure out where they’re spending their time. Where they hang out is where you need to share your posts.

4. Interlink Older Posts to Your New Content

Do you have any related posts in your archives that could link to this new blog post? If so, take some time to tackle this task when it’s fresh in your mind. Interlinking your blog posts is one of the best things to do after you hit publish because it’ll keep people on your site longer.

If someone stumbles upon one of those older posts, they’ll see the link to your new content. And that means they’ll be more likely to check it out. It’s a great way to provide value and start building authority with your readers.

5. Leave Comments on Other Blogs

Back when I started blogging in 2009, there was this kind of unspoken rule that if someone commented on your blog, you’d return the favor on theirs. It’s not so much of a thing these days, but that doesn’t mean you should abandon this practice altogether.

Get into the habit of leaving comments on your favorite sites, whether they comment on your content or not. It helps to build a relationship and increases the likelihood that new people will discover you. Just make sure you leave a thoughtful, genuine comment. No one likes that generic, “Nice post!”

6. Respond to the Comments You Receive

Don’t forget to respond to the comments you receive on your blog post as well. You can check back in at the end of the day and see if anyone has left a little love for you. If so, respond to them to help foster a community on your site.

When people see that you take the time to respond to comments, they’ll really appreciate it. It makes them feel like you’re listening and that you care about what they have to say.

The Weekly Recap featured in one of my previous newsletters

7. Add the Post to Your Next Newsletter

Another great way to get more traffic to your blog posts is to share the link in your email newsletter. (And if you don’t currently have a newsletter… What are you waiting for?!) These subscribers have already shown their interest in your brand by signing up. And there’s a good chance they’ll love to see what you’ve written.

Personally, I like to include a little “Weekly Recap” in my emails. This allows me to share all the links to my blog content and YouTube videos from the past week. And it really does make a difference!

8. Check Your Stats

And the next on my list of things to do after you hit publish is to check your stats. It’s important to keep an eye on your analytics to see how your blog post is performing. check your Google Analytics, as well as any tools you have to see how your post in ranking in the search results.

My advice is to review the stats at the end of the day just to see how much traffic your post got. This is a good indicator of two things: 1) how well you’re promoting your content and 2) whether or not it’s something your audience is interested in. You can really learn a lot by paying attention to your analytics and tracking your progress over time.

9. Repurpose Your Post

When all is said and done, your final step is to repurpose your blog post. Yes, it’s additional work on your part, but it’s so worth it in the end. It’s going to help you get more traction on your post and allow you to reach a lot people. The good news is, there are a number of ways you can repurpose your blog posts, so it’s all about doing what works best for you.

Your blog post can become a YouTube video or a podcast episode. Or you can pull quotes from the blog post, create graphics of them, and share them across social media. This helps to pique their interest and gives them that extra incentive to click-through. The ideas here are endless! Buffer shared a few tips for repurposing your content, which is worth checking out for additional ideas!

Ready to take your blog content to the next level?

The Captivating Content Kit for Bloggers teaches you how to strategically plan your content, tips for coming up with blog post ideas, and how to create content your readers will enjoy.

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Meet Rachel

I'm Rachel. After blogging for nearly 10 years, I've learned what it takes to create a successful online presence. Now, I help creatives like you build blogs and businesses they love so they can do work that's fulfilling. Read More